This is Our Day

Disclaimer:  I did not draw this cartoon and I do not take credit for it I just like it and wanted to show it off.  I have been accused of copy right infringement before on my blog so here is me saying Dave Carpenter I like your cartoon is all.

"Thanksgiving Day.. a first for many new things" my toast began at the dinner table.

A first as parents for me and for Nick.  We had lunch at my parent's house  - the traditional turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes followed by peach cobbler.  The girls did pretty well.  Any place other than home is a gamble for a good time because they don't have their swings, toys, and usual floor space and naps.  They get sick of being held and tucker out pretty early so we were back at home by 3:30.  I have affectionately nicknamed their "Poppy" (my dad) "the baby whisperer" as he is usually pretty good at cooing along with them and easing their fussiness.  Once we got home and the babies were napping I snoozed on the couch while Nick played with my hair and watched a History channel special on the White House.  Just as I fell asleep I had this vivid dream of Harper asleep in the red chair across the room, rolling to the edge and falling off... I GASPED so hard that I woke myself up and Nick exclaimed, "What was that?!"  I told him the dream and we both leaned off the side of the couch to peak on the actual sleeping baby in her car seat on the couch in the living room.  I think I had been thinking before I fell asleep, "I hope it is ok to leave her in the car seat on the couch..."  I am pretty sure their is a warning against that on the safety apparatus to prevent such horrible dreams from coming true.

Later in the evening after the girls went to bed, Nick and I curled up on the couch with Guthrie's chicken finger plates (ugggg) and watched one of my favorite movies of all time, Legends of the Fall.  We were in bed by midnight but woken up by 2 am to soothe a hungry baby.  They are around 13 pounds each now and reaching the point where a bottle is not enough to carry their appetites through the night.  However, they aren't enjoying rice cereal from a spoon yet either so for now we just give the extra feeding and hope to be sleeping through the night again soon.

Baby updates - well the ear infections have led to upper respiratory infections for both girls suggested by wheezing.  It isn't that bad... their feedings are still on the increase and they feel well but it is something we are watching.  Every 5 hours they have to sit on my lap for 10 minutes and breathe through a nebulizer.  Surprisingly to me, they tolerate it really well.  Lily is almost rolling over from her back to her stomach.  I have peeked in on her in bed and found her on her side several times and if she could get that one arm out from under her stomach she would be lying face down.  Which brings up a question... if a baby naturally chooses to sleep on their stomach is it ok to let her do it and not worry about SIDS?  Harper is just a few days behind Lily developmentally so she is just now discovering her voice by "razzing" and singing to herself in her crib.  Also, they have both figured out how to push the button that plays music on their tummy mats so that is fun to watch them be surprised.  Sometimes Lily will lie very still and just stare in amazement at her ands as she flexes her fingers and makes a fist.  Smiles are everywhere but not quite laughing yet.

It has been tradition that Nick and I go and find the Christmas Tree on the day after Thanksgiving but with the rain today and a few visitors expected it might be moved to tomorrow.  Today my dad, sister, and brother will stop by and visit for a little while.  Will is a marine stationed in North Carolina so this will be his second time to meet the girls.  The last time he was here they were just home from the hospital and about 4 pounds each so I am excited for him to see how much they have grown.  Also, high school friend Celeste and her husband Shea will come by to see them - and us :)

I dont' know if it is the massive rush of sugar that's been in my diet the past three days or the rain or all of it but I am TIRED.  It takes a lot of effort to even walk from end of the house to the other.  I pretty much feel like I could curl up and take a nap at any point in the day.  I would like to being reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the third holiday season in a row but I just know the minute I get nestled on the couch and start I'll fall asleep which would be awesome if I didn't have so much responsibility around the house.  Maybe I'll get in bed an hour early tonight and do that.  For those of you that don't know, Harper's name was chosen because I was reading TKM when I found out I was pregnant and loved the name so much that it was either Atticus for a boy or Harper for a girl.  I'm sure there are a lot of people glad that we had a girl.  But there are lots of names that would sound "weird" if they weren't so common... consider your own name... say it slowly about five times and it sounds weird!  You have just heard it so many times that it isn't unusual.

Big game tomorrow.  No big plans.  Plenty of invites to Iron Bowl parties but it just isn't worth the packing involved to half assure that the girls will be happy in a crowd of people.  Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable people can get around a fussy baby - much less two.  I don't like when people who aren't around them regularly see them fussing because it makes them think they are bad babies and my babies are SO NOT bad babies.  They are actually really really good they just like our home and our schedule - who can argue that?  HA... speaking of fussy babies, Barry Manilow is singing in concert at Rockerfeller Plaza in NYC and they just showed a family trying to soothe a less than 6 month old baby screaming his head off with a bottle... "Uh... parents... I'm pretty sure that hunger is not the only reason your infant baby is crying while you jam to "Islands in the Stream" in the snow in a crowd of 300 in the city that never sleeps!!!"  WOW.

That's all for now.  Happy Black Friday.  Did any of you go out to shop?